Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Thuy Nguyen

Currently a member of Dr. Tong’s lab, Thuy Nguyen was born in Vietnam but her family now calls Forth Worth, Texas, home. When Nguyen first started doing research with Dr. Tong, her work focused on troubleshooting the inner workings of fuel cells. She assisted with synthesizing platinum nanoparticles with a focus on manipulating the particles’ size and shape.

“Platinum nanoparticles are believed to be efficient catalysts in methanol fuel cells,” explains Nguyen. “However, they undergo a self-poisoning reaction as a result of carbon monoxide generated during the methanol electro-oxidation. Manipulation of particle shape and size is believed to affect this poisoning in different ways.”

With their research, Nguyen and her colleagues were breaking new ground. Work had previously been done on controlling either the size or the shape of the particles, but relatively limited work had been done on controlling both facets (size and shape) of nanoparticle synthesis. They targeted different aspects of the synthesis from increasing the reaction rate to altering ratio of the reactants. The reagents included silver nitrate (AgNO 3), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and platinum (Pt) salt. “From these experiments it was observed that an increase in the reaction rate and a two-fold increase in the concentration of the capping polymer, PVP, preferentially produced particles of smaller sizes that still maintained the desired shape (in my case cubic and octahedral). It was also observed that the synthesis of platinum nanoparticles smaller than approximately 5 nm could not be synthesized without sacrificing shape control.” The findings from these experiments were published in the Journal of Cluster Science.

For Nguyen, “the excitement is being able to make new discoveries. One moment I may not know much about what a certain reaction will yield and moments later (after analysis) I find out something new or something that differed from what I had originally thought.” What is particularly gratifying about lab work is that “in the lab, the student not only learns but creates knowledge (through their research) that has the potential to make a great difference.”

In her current work, Nguyen is evaluating the electrochemical properties of the very nanoparticles whose size and shape she was manipulating, in order to assess their catalytic activity. In her research, she uses cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. She is also exploring the stability of the nanoparticles after they have undergone repeatedly catalyzed methanol electro-oxidation reactions.

“I have learned a tremendous amount from Dr. Tong,” Nguyen says. “He is an excellent research mentor who really wants his students to enjoy the research they are doing and to have fun while doing it.”

Nguyen has earned two consecutive GUROP summer fellowships for her research this summer and last summer. She has also been honored as a John Carroll Fellow and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. Nguyen is active in the community as President of the Chemistry Club and leader of the Science and Healthcare Cluster.

Nguyen hopes to go to medical school after Georgetown. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing the piano, volunteering, and reading. In the future, she would love to travel and work with a health related nonprofit organization.

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